Trash burners



Oct. 28, 1958 w. M. DWYER 2,857,862

TRASH BURNERS File d Jan. s1, 1956 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z4 Z8 0 Z5 I! INVENTOR ATTORNEY5 Oct. 28, 1958 Filed Jan. 31, 1956 w. M. DWYER 2,857,862

TRASH BuRNEs 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /9 ll? Fa L6 29! Y 2 o Z3 [5L ova Z? a H 13 i 3/ y 38 Z8 Z4 30 I0 INVENT OR BY y ATTORNEY 5 United States Patent 2,857,862 TRASH WURNERS Walter M. Dwyer, Hamden, Conn. Application .llanuary Ell, W56, Serial No. 562,455 7 tClaims. (Cl. 1110-48) This invention relates to trash burners and more particularly to a concealed type of trash burner, the construction being such that the container for holding the trash to be burned may be concealed in a casing buried in the ground so that the container will be out of sight.

Trash burners are usually provided in the form of covered receptacles of wire or open work formation so that air will be admitted to the trash or other material placed within the container to be burned therein. Such receptacles are usually set on the surface of the ground and are of unsightly appearance.

It is contemplated by the present invention to provide a casing which may be sunk into the ground, the casing 'being of such size as to provide space for the burner receptacle to be lowered ther in in a concealed position. Provision is made for raising the burner from the casing or pit within the ground to an exposed position for use, and means are provided to hold the receptacle in its raised or operative position so that the trash may be placed therein and burned with the receptacle in this position. Thereafter the receptacle may be readily lowered so as to be concealed.

The receptacle is provided with a cover which in this instance is hinged to the receptacle, the cover being of such dimension that it will project beyond the edges of the receptacle and rest against the upper edge of the casing when the receptacle is in its lowermost position to support the latter from the casing. Also the cover is provided with means by which it may be secured in closed position and also provided with a handle so that by grasping the handle the cover may be raised to its elevated or operative position.

One object of the present invention is to provide a trash burner which may normally be concealed within a pit or casing sunk into the ground and elevated and held in its raised position for use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a trash burner of the character described above which shall be of very simple construction and economical to manufacture.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a trash burner consisting of a casing adapted to be sunk into the ground and a trash-holding receptacle adapted to be concealed below the ground within the casing and also adapted to be raised to, and held in, elevated position for use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a trash burner of the character described wherein the receptacle is provided with a cover, in this instance hinged to the receptacle, the cover being securable to the receptacle so that the latter may be raised by the cover.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a trash burner embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing the receptacle in its concealed position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the receptacle in raised position and the cover in open position; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a trash burner of slightly modified form.

To illustrate one embodiment of the invention, there is shown in the drawings a hollow casing 10 which may be of cylindrical or other desired shape in cross section, this casing being shown as being mounted within a hole or pit within the ground ll so that its upper edge is substantially flush with the upper surface of the ground. This casing, as shown, is open at both upper and lower ends although it may be provided with a closed bottom if desired.

A peg or pin 12 is driven into the ground substantially centrally of the casing 10, this pin extending upwardly to a point substantially flush with the upper end of the casing. The pin, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, is provided with a plurality of annular recesses or grooves 13 and with beveled or upwardly flaring or tapering portions 14 above these grooves. The purpose of the grooves will be hereinafter described.

The trash receptacle is shown at 15. This receptacle may be of any desired form but is shown as a wire receptacle or basket so as to admit air through its wall.

The receptacle will usually be of the same cross sectional shape as the casing ill but will be somewhat smaller in dimensions, both as to height and width or diameter, so that it may be received within the casing, as shown in Fig. 2, and a certain amount of space provided between the receptacle and the casing for mechanism to be later described.

To the receptacle 15 is hinged at 16 a cover 17, the latter being of material of such thickness as to be fairly rigid. At the side of the cover opposite the hinge there is provided a latch member 18 pivoted at lit and having a hook or catch 26 engageable with an abutment 21 secured on the receptacle so that the cover 17 may be latched in closed position, as shown in Fig. 2, as well as being movable to open position about the hinge 16, as shown in Fig. 3.

The diameter of the cover is somewhat larger than that of the receptacle and is also as large or slightly larger than the casing lltl so that when the cover is latched to the receptacle and the latter lowered into the casing, as shown in Pig. 2, the outer edge of the cover will rest upon the upper edge of the casing 10 and support the receptacle in this position. The cover may be provided with a handle 22 by which the receptacle mav be raised.

The receptacle is provided with a bottom wall 23 as well as side Walls and secured to the bottom wall is a collar 2% having a through opening 2% snugly but slidahly receiving the pin 12. The bottom 2-3 of the receptacle will also have an opening 26 registering with the opening 25 in the collar 24 so that the upper end of the pin may be received within the receptacle when the latter is in its concealed position.

Pivoted at to the lower portion of the receptacle is a bent lever having a handle portion 29 and a latching portion 3d. The end of the portion Bill is adapted to be received in any one of the annular grooves or recesses it?) of the pin 12 to hold the receptacle in an elevated position to which it may be raised. A spring 31 secured at one end to the collar 2-45 and at the other end to the lever normally urges the latching portion 30 to-- Ward the pin so that it will spring into one of the grooves 13 when it is in registration therewith. The:

cover 17 is provided with a notch or recess 32 to receive the upper end of the handle 29 when the cover is in closed position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In use the receptacle will normally be in the concealed position within the casing lit, as shown in Pig. 2, with the cover 17 latched to the receptacle and supporting the latter from the casing. The spring 31 is somewhat extended due to the fact that the lower end 3d of the latching lever is opposite a portion of the pin of full diameter.

When it is desired to use the burner, the handle 22 may be grasped and the receptacle raised by a direct up,- ward pull to an elevated position. During this operation the latch member 30 will spring successively into the grooves 13 under urging of the spring 31 but will ride upwardly into the next groove depending upon the position to which the receptacle is elevated due to the beveled or tapered portions 14. When the receptacle has been raised to the desired position, the latching end 30. of the lever will hold it in this position, as shown in Fig. 3.

The cover may now be unlatched by turning the latch member 18 about its pivot and the cover raised to the position shown in Fig. 3. The receptacle may then be filled with the trash to be burned, the cover lowered, and the trash burned. At the end of this operation the operator may grasp the hooked end 29 of the handle 29, and lift the receptacle slightly while moving the handle inwardly toward the receptacle from the position shown in Fig. 3 to release the end 30 from the groove 13 in which it is engaged and the receptacle will drop. downwardly by gravity to its concealed position shown in Fig. 2, wherein the cover 17 will rest upon the upper edge of the casing 141. It will also be noted that if desired the receptacle may be completely removed from the casing by an upward pull thereon so that the ashes or other material remaining after the burning of the trash may be emptied, although it will not be necessary to do this often.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings, I have shown a somewhat modified form of my invention, which modification principally resides in the construction of the pin for holding the receptacle in raised position. In this form of my invention a pin 12 is provided having the same func: tion as the pin 12 previously described. This pin is likewise driven into the ground substantially centrally of the casing. 10, and at its lower end may be provided with. vanes or wings 35 to prevent any tendency of the pin to turn after it has been driven into place.

The pin 12 is provided with a relatively coarse screw thread 36 and a relatively deep groove 37, and the end 30 of the latching lever (this lever being similar to the one shown in Figs. 1 and 3) is shaped to engage within the groove 37 to. act as a nut.

In case the receptacle is fairly heavy, it may be desirable to elevate it by the mechanism shown in Fig. 4 rather than by a direct pull. When the receptacle shown. in Fig. 4 is in its lowermost position, the cover 17 of the receptacle rests upon the upper edge of the casing as before and the end 30 of the latching lever is within the lower end of the groove 37 of the threaded pin. By grasping the handle 22, the receptacle may be rotated and thus drawn up to its elevated position shown in Fig. 4. It will be held by friction in this position by the member 30 so that the trash may be burned while the receptacle is elevated.

When the burning operation has been completed, the lever handle 29 maybe moved inwardly toward the receptacle, and the end 30 of the lever will be withdrawn from the groove 37 to permit the receptacle to drop by gravity to its lowermost position.

As illustrated although not of essence to the invention, the receptacle inFig. 4 may be of sheet metal construction instead of open-work construction as shown in Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings, and the bottom 23 of the receptacle may be provided with openings 38 for the admission of air to support combustion. Similar openings 38 may, of course, be provided in the side wall f. the receptacle if desired. Except in the respects noted, the construction shown in Fig. 4 is like that shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

While I have shown and described some preferred embodiments ofmy invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is of--the invention and Within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A trash burner comprising a casing, open at its upper end, adapted to be set into the ground, a container having a perforate side wall structure and a bottom telescopically received in said casing, a vertical pin adapted to be fixed in the ground substantially centrally of the casing and extending slidably into the container through an opening in its bottom, and cooperating means on said pin and container to hold the latter in an elevated position with respect to the casing, said means comprising a groove "in said pin, and a latch member pivoted adjacent the lower end of the container and adapted to engage in said groove, said latch member having an operating portion extending upwardly along the container wall for manual engagement.

2. A trash burner comprising a casing, open at its upper end, adapted to be set into the ground, a container having a perforate side wall structure and a bottom telescopically received in said casing, a vertical pin fixed substantially centrally of the casing and extending into the container through an opening in its bottom, cooperating means on said pin and container to hold the latter in an elevated position with respect to the casing, said means comprising a groove in said pin, and a lever pivotally secured to the container adjacent the lower end thereof, said lever having a latching member adapted to engage in said groove, and a handle portion extending upwardly from its pivot along the container wall for manual engagement.

3. A trash burner comprising a casing, open at its upper end, adapted to be set into the ground, a container having a perforate side wall structure and a bottom telescopically received in said casing, a vertical pin adapted to be fixed in the ground substantially centrally of the casing and extending into the container through an opening in its bottom, cooperating means on said pin and container to hold the. latter in an elevated position with respect to the casing, said means comprising a plurality of vertically spaced annular grooves on said pin and a lever pivoted to the container adjacent the lower end thereof, said lever having a latching end below. its pivot to engage in a selected one of said grooves and a handle portion extending upwardly from its pivot to a point without the casing for manual engagement.

4. A trash burner as in claim 1 wherein the container is provided with a hinged cover, and the edges of said cover projecting beyond the container to rest upon the upper edge of the casing and support the container in concealed position within the casing.

5. A trash burner as in claim 1 wherein the containeris-provided with a hinged cover, the edges of said cover projecting beyond the container to rest upon the upper edge of the casing and support the container in concealed position within the casing, and latching means for securing said cover in closed position whereby the containermay be elevated by an upward pull upon the cover.

6. A trash burner as in claim 2 wherein the casing is provided with a hinged cover, said cover projecting laterally beyond the container so as to rest upon the casing wall when the container is in concealed position within the casing, and the projecting portion of said cover being provided with a slot through which the lever handle extends.

7. A trash burner as in claim 1 wherein the container is provided with a hinged cover extending laterally beyond the wall of the container to rest upon the upper edge of the casing when the container is received therein and support the latter in concealed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,609,246 Hamburger Nov. 30, 1926 2,372,073 Flournoy Mar. 20,1945 2,501,762 Davis Mar. 28, 1950 

